London, UK — Veolia, one of the UK’s largest fleet operators, is investing £1m (€1,262,000) on improving cycling safety by fitting audible and visual nearside warnings on all its 3,125 vehicles of 3.5t and above and providing in cab and on-bike cycle training for all its drivers. Since 2013, the company has been fitting audible warnings to tell cyclists when a vehicle is turning left combined with cautionary cyclist nearside warning signs on all 18t vehicles.

The scheme is now being extended to all vehicles of 3.5t and above commencing in London in November with other regions following in quick succession with completion by the end of 2015.

A cyclist awareness training programme for its drivers will be completed by September 2015. This will build on the success of the existing scheme in London which sees drivers getting on a bike and obtaining a „cyclist’s eye view“ of an heavy goods vehicle as part of their annual Certificate of Professional Competence training.

John Matthews, Fleet Director for Veolia, said: “By launching this initiative now and combining it with a comprehensive driver training scheme we are putting the onus on accident prevention. We believe there will be enforcement of a minimum cyclist standard for fleet operators in London in due course and these measures reflect the need to promote safety in a demanding operating environment.”

In another road safety initiative the company has also fitted Sentinel Auto Stop and Rear View cameras on all its refuse compaction vehicles.